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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · bass · cap · cue · root · bulb · court · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cue — a signal
  3. prune — to trim
  4. root — the cause
  5. court — for sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bass — the fish
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. net — for catching
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. court — of law
  14. cue — for pool
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. bass — low music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cue — a hint
  21. root — of a word
  22. cap — a hat
  23. root — of a plant
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com